Decorticating-machine.



I.. LAVEDAN sz H. AMIGUBS.

DBGORTIGATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FXLBD SEPT. 23, 1910.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

3 SHEBTSFSHEET 1.

L. LAVEDAN & H. AMIGUES. DECORTIGA'PINGl MACHINE. APPLICATION IILIID SEPT. 23, 1910.

Patented Feb.13,1912.

SHEETS-SH ET 2.

LGTL

ATTORNEYS will@ STATE@ PATENT FFTQE;

LUCIUS LAVEDAN AND HENRI AMIGUES, 0F NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

vlECCEB/IJICATINGf-LVIAGI-EINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. f3, ltlZ,

Application filed September 23, 1910. Serial No. 583,422.

Aa device by means of which the removal of the bark may be thoroughly accomplishe and the extraction of the tan product may be simultaneously edected. A further object of our invention is to provide a devicerin 'which the water used for extracting the tan product may be heated by passage through the water jacket of an engine or other motor, this resulting in the cooling of the motor and in the heating of the water prior to its use, as above stated.

A further object of our invention is to provide means for extracting` the tan products in the process of decorticating plants and of simultaneously volatilizing some of the 'non-tan products.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device by means of which the bark may be removed by combing it in the direction of its length. This is effected by the use of a series of cylinders, provided with teeth, which revolve in such a manner as to rake or comb the branches in the direction of their length as the latter are passed through the machine. I

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Our invention is illustrated inthe accom panying drawings, forming part of this alpplication in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views and in which- Figure -1 is a side view of the device, ceri tain parts being shown in section for the sake, of clearness, Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 is a view of the opposite end.

ln carrying out our invention, we provide a main frame consisting of thel base members l', the uprights 2, and the top members 3.

frame, see Fig,

Outside of the frame, we provide a motor. l

ln the present instance this motor consists of an engine E having a drive pulley F. This drive pulley is connected by means of the belt 4t to one of the pulleys 5 o r d (see Fig. l). The pulley 6 is a loose pulley, while the pulley 5 is secured'to the shaft 7 upon which is an integral gear 8, which meshes with a similar gear 9. The gear 9 is on the same shaft with a sprocket wheel l0. A drum l1 is also onthis shaft. This drum tapers from one end to the other after f the manner of a frustum of a cone, and is provided with the spikes l1, In Fig; 2, it will be seen that there is a geen 8*,.which is similar to, and -meshes with, the gear 8. This gear drives a drum lllx precisely in the same manner as the gear 8 drives 'the drum 11, that is, there is a gear 9 and a sprocket l0X on the shaft of the druirl il* (see Fig.

It will be seen that the two drums l1 and 11X, therefore, revolve in opposite directions at the same rate of speed. f

lnl Fig. 3 we have shown two lower drums 12 and l2". These drums are actuated by means of sprocket chains 13 andl3x, which pass over the sprockets 10 and l0, respectively, and which engagesprockets lfr and 14X on the shafts of the res ective drums 12 and 12X. The two lower drums, therefore, revolve in opposite directions and. at the same speed.

Arranged to mesh with the gea-r l5x at oneN end of the device (see Fig. 3) is a gear 16, which is on the same shaft with a smaller gearv 17 (see Fig. 1 also). .The latter.

meshes with a larger gear i8 whose shaft 19 bears a drum 20 having; at each end sprocket wheels 2l and 22. This drum forms the driving vmember of a carrier which carries olf thc waste bark in a manner hereinafter described. The shaft 19 also has at its end a crank arm 23 (see Fig. l) which operates a pump 24 whose purpose will also be explained later. The shaft 25, upon which the gear 17 is located, (see Fig. 1) has upon it a worm 26, which engages a worm wheel 27 on a shaft 28. This shaft bears a chain 30 passes over the sprocket 29 and overa smaller sprocket 31, which is carried on a bracket 32 at the opposite end ofthe l. Referring again to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the shaft 28 bears a sprocket 33, which drives a sprocket 34 on a shaft 35 by meanslof a sprocket chain 36.

llO

The shaft 35 bears a gear 37 in mesh with another gear 38 on the shaft 39. On the shaft 89 is a sprocket wheel 40. Secured to the frame below the sprocket wheel 40 is a shaft 41which bears an idler 42. In Fig. 1 are also shown the two guide sprockets 43 and 44. .From this figure it will be seen that the sprocket wheel 40 drives a sprocket chain 45 1n the direction indicated bythe artrow, that this chain passes around a sprocket wheel 46 disposed near the sprocket wheel 31, then rearwardly around the idler 42, forwardly again around the sprocket 43 then rearwardly around the sprocket 44 and upwardly to the sprocket 40.

In. Fig. 1 we have shown means for keepin'g both of the chains 30 and 45 tight and at the Sametime to permit the chains to be forced apart when necessary. The means for keeping the chain 30 taut consists of an idler 47 under which the chain 30 runs. Another idler 48 is disposed beneath the chain on the arm cfa bell-crank lever 49, which is pivoted to the frame, the other end 50 of the bell-.crank lever beingprovided with a counterweight 51. A chain 45 is provided with an idler 52, and on its upper side is engaged'by an idlerv 53 on a bell-crank lever 54 whose other arm is provided with an adjustable weight 55, similar to the weight 51. y

Disposed above the main frame is a reservoir 56, which is connected with thewater jacket e around the cylinder of the engine, by means ofa 'pipe 57. A pipe 58 connects the oppositetside of the water jacket with a lower reservoir 59| Extending downwardly from the reservoir 56 is a pipe 60 which is provided with a valve 61. This pipe is perforated at its end as shown at 62 for discharging water between the upper drums.

This pipe 6() has abranch 63 which is also perforated and has a portion extending b e tween the-lower set o'f drums. The pipe 63 is provided with the valve 64.

From the foregoing'description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood.

From an inspection of Fig. 1, it will be noticed thatthe lower chain 30 extends out toward the front of the device (the left hand side of the figure) a little farther than the upper chain 45. The plants are fed in between the sprocket wheels 31 and 46, and between the chains ,-30 and 45 which are moved in the direction indicated by the arrows. The plants are carried along between the two upper drums. These taper from front to rear as shown in the figure and the spikes ornails 11 stripthe bark from the plants in the direction of their length. This stripping is a sort of combing action. In the meantime the valve 61, is opened, so as to permit the water' from the reservoir 56 tc flow down upon thel drums which are revolving toward each other. After the water passes through vthe plants it drops down into the reservoir 59 which` may be provided with a suitable screen, (not shown) for screening out any dirt or bark that may come down with the Water. The

plants, after passing the first set of drums,

are carried by the chains until they reach a guide plate 65. This guide plate is of cylindrical shape and the plants completely turned over. They are now deposited on the chain 45 which has passed around the idler 42, and is now proceeding in the direction along with the chain 30, which is now the uppermost chain. The upper portion of the plants', which are at first the lower portion, is nowtsubjected to a combing action by the lower set of drums in precisely the samemanner as that described in connection with, the upper set. The valve 64 is manipulated so as to permit the Water from the reservoir 56 to flow uponthe freshly stripped plants. The soluble products are, therefore, washed'out of the fiber, and the latter, when it reaches the sprocket 43, now falls down upon the drum 20. This 'drum is provided with a flexible carrier C6, upon which the .fiber is conveyed away lto the place `where it is to be deposited.

1n the meantime the pump 24-is pumping ythe liquor from the reservoir 59 through the pipe 58 and into vthe\water jacket e of the Iengine E, and thence by means ofthe pipe .57 into the upper reservoir 56. The liquor is thus .cooling the engine and in turn becomes heated, so that when the operation is continuous the upper reservoir is iilled with warm waterl derived from the cooling ofA the'engine. The warm water is, of course, more efficient in extracting the tan products than cold water would be. In fact, by using water over and over again at a temperature under the boilin poin we do away with the prolonged boilin usu lly necessary in plants for the extracting of'tan roducts. This feature is one of the most va uable in our invention, because where 'the extraction takes place at 'the boiling temperature some of the tan products are,destroyed,`while in our process noneof them are destroyed and the volatile non-products are driven oft'. Moreover, in the boiling process other prod-l ucts are extracted, which will have to be separated from the solution. The water falling uponv the drums tends to clean the nails or teeth and acts as a lubricator to the smooth operation .of the carriers. When' the water has gotten .sufficiently saturated it may be 'drawn oft' from either the upper or the lower reservoir and fresh Water added.

In order to accommodate plants of v'ariraised or lowered by means of the screw 46a 'nut +116". and which cause the ldlers i8 and 53 to and may be locked in position by the lock @bviously the eounterweights 5l press upon the respective chains 30 and l5, will permit the chains to give under increased pressure so that in case there is any undue bunching ot' the plants the chain carrier will not be broker but will coliform 'to theshape of the bunch.

The operation of the device is contii'iuous, the plants being' fed in at one end ot the device and the fiber with the,v tan products extracted beingl carried away beneath the device on the carrier` tlt. The fiber 'forms an important product ot itself and is ot` superior quality be lanse ot the tact that it has been combed or cut into hair like strands in the direction ot its length and has not been chopped up into short lengths.

lVhile we have disclosed a special t'orm of apparatus, it is` ot' course, obvious that. other forms varyingl in details niiglit he built without departing in the least from the broad principles upon which the device works. ive, therefore, do not limit ourselves to the precise construction shown, but consider our own any device working" upon the same principles and which would fall within the spirit and the scope ot' the invention.

le claim :Q-

l. ln a decorticatine device. a plurality of of drums provided with spikes or teeth on their peripheries, a Ipair ot endless chains disposed between one set ol drums, one of said chains serving' a lower support for the plants and the other serving` as an iipi'ieiretaiiiiiig member, said chains having their return portions extending between a second set of drums, and the upper chain serving' as a lower supporting membor, and the lower chain serving as an upper retainingV member between the second set of drums, and a guide member for reversingl the position of theI plants.

2. In a decorticating device, a plurality ot sets of' drums provided with spikes or teeth on their peripheries, a number ot' endless chains disposed between one set ot" drums, one o said chains serving as a lower support` tor the plants, and the other serv- 'ing as an upper retaining` member7 said chains havingtheir return portions extend ingv between a second set o'l' drums, the up per chain serving as a lower supporting member, and the lower chain serving' as an upper retaining member between the second set ot drums, a guide member for revcrsing` the position of the plants7 an upper reservoir disposed above one ot drums, a lower reservoir disposed below the upper reservoir and in alinement therewith. and means tor pumping water trom the lower to the upper reservoir- 3. ln a decorticating.device, a plurality of sets ot drums provided with spikes or teeth on their peripheries, a number ot endless chains disposed between one set ot drums, one ot said chains serving' as a lower sup port- :tor the plants, and the other serving as an upper retaining' member7 said chains having` their return portions extending between a second of drums, the upper chain serving as an upper retaining` member between the second set o't` drums, a guide member forreversing4 the position of the plants, and means tor subjecting one ot said sets of drums to streams of water.

LUCUS LAVEEAN. HENRI AMGUES.

lll/'itnessesr Y (kms. Fiumara E. NESHEIM. 

